Perhaps I Was Wrong
by ThePenandtheSword
Summary: -ON HIATUS-  Everyone thinks that Rick hates Kai, right? Even Rick thinks he hates Kai...that is, until Kai confesses his true feelings! Challenge Story for Fairy Red. Shounen-Ai.
1. Rain

**Authoress:** Hey there, everybody! This is my very first Challenge Fic, and I hope you all will enjoy it! As I asked of you all on my _**other**_ Harvest Moon Fanfic, "Loveless in FlowerBud Village", I will take on more ideas for Challenge stories. I will, of course, continue my other Fanfictions---I cannot abandon them, I love them too much!

Well, getting down to business, this particular Fanfic was spawned through the idea of the lovely _**Fairy Red**_. Without her, this Fanfiction would not exist. Other reasons for dedication? She's one of the most loyal and respectful readers that I have (and brave enough to suggest her own idea---regardless whether it would either bear fruit or sour like week-old milk in the back of the refrigerator!), and I just love her ideas and artwork (look for both of ours on DeviantART). Thank you for brightening my day with all of your posts! ;-3

Oh, and just a note...I've seen Rick's eye color be everything from emerald green to cerulean blue to SUNSET ORANGE!!! Geez, his eye color changes more often than most people change underwear. Anyway, according to the picture in my Harvest Moon: MFoMT guide, the boy has tangerine eyes. That's the color that I am using in this fic. I know he had green in my other HM fic, but I can fix that without having to redo too much, if you all would like him to have a different eye color. Forgive a poor authoress!

So, without further ado, let us (get it? let-us...lettuce...it's a farming sim...Oh, never mind! XD) begin the Fanfiction!

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**TITLE:** "_Perhaps I Was Wrong..._"

**RATING:** **K+**, unless _**Fairy Red**_ decides otherwise.

**CONTENT WARNING:** For now, only _**Mild Violence**_, _**Yaoi**_, _**Shounen-Ai**_, and perhaps some _**Mild Language**_.

**DISCLAIMER:** If I owned "Harvest Moon", I would be busy making a yaoi version of it. Plain and simple!

**SUMMARY:** "Everyone thinks Rick hates Kai, right? Even Rick thinks he hates Kai...that is, until Kai tells Rick how he feels!" (direct plot quote from _**Fairy Red**_, the person who gave me the idea for this Challenge Story!). Eventual RickXKai, or KaiXRick. Depends on what floats my boat. XD

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**CHAPTER ONE**

**"**_RAIN_**"**

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It seemed like even the weather had been reflecting Rick's attitude lately. As the storm brewed outside his window, shaking the trees with its tumultuous wrath, thoughts of bubbling unrest tumbled and clashed inside the tangerine-head's mind. The chicken farmer rolled over onto his side and glared at the calendar on the wall. It was marked the 29th of Spring, but his eyes focused on that huge red circle around the 30th. His sister Popuri had been especially careful to remember that day that she tried to make it stand out on the calendar as much as possible, even going so far as to put a little smiley face on the date with that tomato-red marker of hers.

He swore under his breath as lightning shook the house.

"_**Great**_" he hissed through his teeth. "Looks like I'll be feeding the chickens in the rain this morning. As if this week couldn't get any worse..."

Rick groaned and rolled over. He slid off the side of the bed and stretched, then walked over to the chest of drawers and pulled out one of his trademark turtleneck sweaters and a pair of corduroy pants. The youth shucked off his night pants and pulled on his new wardrobe before heading downstairs. He found the feed pail in its usual place on the counter (_As if it would __**be**__ anywhere else,_ Rick mentally growled). Scooping the bucket up, he headed over to the door and jerked his work apron off of the rack beside it. Then, taking a deep breath, he braced himself as he dashed out into the downpour.

The storm was _**deafening**_. Huge raindrops almost as big as his thumbnail cascaded down around him, echoing like missile fire as they riddled the tin roof of the chicken coop. The thick mud squished under his boots, slowing his run to a near crawl to keep the soggy silt from sucking the shoes from his feet. The faster Rick tried to get to the coop, the harder the rain pelted him. And the harder the rain pelted him, the angrier the youth got. By the time he finally managed to pluck himself out of the quicksand-like yard, he was so hot with rage that he could have spared the kitchen a dirty pan by just frying the eggs on his forehead!

The wind slammed the coop door behind Rick---_**hard.**_ He barely had time to make it inside before it smacked him in the back, sending him sprawling face-first into the hard-packed dirt of the shack. He could hear the squawking of the chickens as they flailed to get out of his way.

_Why me...? _thought an overly frustrated Rick. Shaking off the dirt, he stood up and staggered over to the empty bucket. At least he hadn't filled it yet. There would be no end to his sister's arguments if he wasted feed (even though corn was plentiful in the summertime and the ranch already had enough feed to feed their chickens _**100 TIMES OVER!**_), and that would just upset their mother---which was the absolute _**LAST**_ thing that Rick wanted to do, seeing as how weak she had become lately.

He ambled past the ruffled chickens, all of which were still puffed up in the corners of the coop after the rancher's little fall. Heaving a nerve-wracked sigh, he opened the hatch to the feed bin and let some of the corn drop into the pail. The nerve-wracked birds forgot their fear of being squashed the moment Rick dumped the out their breakfast. However, Rick, having become well-accustomed to the game of "don't-step-on-the-chickens-while-you-fill-the-feed-boxes" over the years, nimbly danced around the frenzied birds as he walked to and from the bin. Finally, his job completed, he made another mad dash out into the rain and back to the house.

The moment he pulled open the door, he was immediately aware of his mother's presence in the room. As he pulled off his sopping wet apron, he saw her squatted next to the fire tending a huge pan of something. Without even turning around to see whom had entered, she called out to the young man.

"Rick, just bring that wet apron of yours over here next to the hearth," Lillia hollered to her son. The youth complied, shaking his head.

"Mom," an exasperated frown crossed his rain-glistened face, "how did you know it was me?"

Lillia turned from her victuals and gave her boy a warm smile. As he knelt down beside her to drape his apron across the hearth screen, she stroked his dripping orange hair. "Because," she said, "I'm your mother, and I love you."

"That _**still**_ doesn't explain how you could tell who walked through the door without looking," he knitted his brow. "What if it had been a stranger?"

"Now, _**Rick...**_" the rose-haired woman put her free hand on her hip as she stirred the pan with the other. "The _**LAST **_stranger we had around these parts was _**FAYE**_, and look how good of friends you and Popuri have become with her!"

Rick growled low and scratched his head. His brow furrowed deeper.

"That's not the _**point!**_" he jeered. His mother merely smiled wider.

"Oh, _**I know...**_" she grinned.

Rick raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"_**Rick's just mad 'cause KAI'S coming BACK!!!**_"

A shrill voice made Rick nearly jump out of his skin. When he saw Lillia tilt her head and turn her gaze to a spot at the top of the stairs, the tangerine-head whipped around to find his younger sister hanging half-way over the railing---grinning from ear to ear.

"Good morning, Popuri," Lillia crooned as her daughter thundered down the stairs. "Are you hungry?"

"Mmm-hmm!" the cheerful 'rose-ette' nodded.

"That's _**NOT**_ funny!" Rick glowered at Popuri.

"Yes, it _**IS!**_" Popuri laughed. "It's _**TRUE**_, isn't it?"

"_**POPURI**_, why, I outta...!"

"Now, _**Rick...**_" his mother scolded. "There's no reason to get so upset at your sister. Besides, I don't see what's so bad about Kai, anyway. He seems like a rather _**nice**_ young man to me!"

"_**I**_ don't _**trust**_ him, Mom!" Rick barked. "_**THAT'S**_ why!"

"Harrumph!" Popuri scoffed, her bony fists making their way to her hips. "I don't see why not! He's never done anything to _**YOU**_, Big Brother!"

"Popuri---" the girl stood up and headed over to the kitchen cabinets. Rick got up and walked over to continue his protest, but Popuri threw open a cabinet and blocked her face from view---signaling the _**end**_ of _**THAT**_ conversation. Her brother just ducked underneath and walked to the other side. Popuri, her arms now cradling a stack of dishes, strutted smartly over to another cabinet as Rick shut the first one.

"Popuri, he's not from around here, for one thing!" he whined as his sister started taking glasses out of the second cabinet.

"Well, _**neither**_ is _**Faye,**_" retorted the maiden," and _**SHE'S**_ my best friend!"

"But," Rick shut the second cabinet back as Popuri knelt to take something out of a _**THIRD**_ cabinet (_**A/N**_: Anybody think Rick can't take a hint?) ," that's _**different!**_ She's a _**girl!**_"

"Oh, yeah?" Popuri stuffed a cloth napkin in each of the glasses as she stood up. "What about _**Cliff?**_ You seem to get along with him, alright."

The 'rose-ette' stomped past Rick again to a drawer below the first cabinet, leaving Rick to shut the last one. She yanked open the drawer and began deftly loading the top plate with silverware.

"How does anyone _**not**_ get along with him?" Rick grunted. "All he ever does is sit in Church and _**mope!**_ Carter would probably freak out if that kid didn't show up to listen to one of his ramblings!"

"_**RICK!**_" Lillia scolded as she scraped the pan.

"Sorry, Mom, but Popuri---"

More silverware clattered against the dishes. "Well, at least _**Kai**_ has a _**JOB!**_" Popuri waved a butter knife in front of Rick's face. "Which is more than I can say for _**Mr. Gloomy-Gus**_."

"But, Po!"

The girl whirled around again and marched off to the table. Rick pushed in the drawer and followed her, pressing the matter even further.

"_**CAN IT**_, Rick!" Popuri hissed at him, her raspberry eyes glaring daggers into his sunset orange ones. "You know, that guy has been nothing but civil to you. And yet, from the time he set foot on the Mineral Town pier, you've wanted to _**bash his skull in with a rock!**_"

"Have _**not!**_"

"Have _**so!**_"

"Have _**NOT!**_"

"Have _**SO!**_"

"_**HAVE NOT!**_"

"_**HAVE SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**_"

"_**CHILDREN!!!**_"

Both siblings immediately ceased their bickering and turned to face their mother---who now was standing holding a large cast-iron skillet in one hand and a spatula in the other. She trotted over and sat the pan on the table between them. A warm, meaty smell wafted up to greet Rick's nostrils.

"Now, if you would be so kind, Popuri," Lillia asked, "since Rick already feed the chickens, could you run over to Faye's farm and ask for some milk?"

"Of _**course, **_Mom!" And out the door Popuri flew, rain streaming into the house because she left the door standing wide open. Rick gaped and gestured his hand toward the door.

"See? _**SEE?!**_" he protested. "_**THAT'S**_ another thing!"

He ran over and pushed the door shut, taking off his already damp sweatshirt and mopping the water up with it.

"What," Lillia cocked her head to the side, "Kai leaves his door open? (_**A/N:**_ OMG, I did NOT just say that...that sounded so wrong... )"

"_**NO**_, Mom," Rick drug an empty bucket out of the closet underneath the stairs and took it over the entryway, "what I mean is _**Popuri's CARELESSNESS!**_ She doesn't pay any _**attention**_ to things! For example, I've _**tried**_ to teach her how to take care of the chickens, but when she messes up, she just blames it on Dad for _**HIS**_ not teaching her!"

"So?" Lillia smiled. "We _**ALL**_ know that Popuri is just joking about stuff like that. Can you honestly say she means any _**harm?**_"

"No..." the orange-head wrung out his now dingy-looking sweater in the bucket. "But when it comes to other guys, I don't want Popuri making a bad mistake."

Lillia just giggled and motioned for her half-naked son to come to the table.

"Rick," she started, "do you remember what you asked of me earlier?"

"You mean about how you could tell it was me that opened the door?"

Lillia nodded.

"Would you like to know why?"

"That's why I asked, Mom," he said, "but I don't understand what loving your kids has to do with identifying footsteps."

"Well," she put her arms around his neck in a motherly embrace, "it doesn't just pertain to one's children. In fact, if you love someone enough, a bond forms between you and that person. It doesn't matter if it's pitch dark or broad daylight, rainstorm, snowstorm, or fog---if that bond's there, you know it's them. Sometimes, you can almost tell the exact moment they arrive back from a long trip, because there's this tiny little feeling that bubbles all up inside you until you think you are going to burst."

Lillia relaxed her hug and began to smooth down her son's stringy tangerine hair.

"And, if that bond's strong enough, you can even understand how they are feeling inside---whether they show it or not. That's what _**love**_ is, Rick. Now..." she gave him a quick peck on the forehead. "...Go put on some dry things before you catch a cold."

The chicken farmer headed on up the stairs to his and his sister's room. Sure, he didn't really understand exactly what his mother was saying, but it still managed to get him in a cheerier mood than usual.

As Rick pulled on a new pair of corduroys and a new turtleneck sweater, he heard a door slam and Popuri's childish giggle erupt from downstairs. As he headed out of the room, he glanced over at the calendar. At least, for the rest of the day, he could try to be happy---for his mother's sake. It was the least he could do...

..._**Kai would just have to wait**_.

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**Authoress:** Well, didja like it? I hope I did you justice on this first chapter, Fairy Red! I even named the _**female farmer**_ from HM: MFoMT after you---or, well, as close as I could get, with "_**Faye**_" meaning "_**Fairy**_", anyway. What should her last name be? "_**Crimson**_"? _**"Scarlet"**_? Your choice, kiddo. She's based on _**YOU!**_

...I just love adding OCs of my friends to my stories. Check out my KH Fanfic, if you don't believe me---the one called "Of Rings and Realms". Yeah, my OCs act almost like they do in reality (Although Reva is much more timid than her real-life version...but that had to be so for the story's sake! XD), so...

_**Fairy Red**_, if you are listening, _**PLEASE let me base the female farmer on you! Pwetty please? **_Any peeves or unique quirks that would make her more like your own persona, please either review or send me a DeviantART note about! THANKIES!!!


	2. A Chat with Faye

**Authoress:** Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to work on this story, but I've had a crap-load of stuff going on lately. But since I promised Fairy Red I'd get another chapter in after our talk today, I must keep my promise! (I always do)

ENJOY!!!

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**CHAPTER TWO**

**"**_A Chat with Faye_**"**

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Breakfast went by rather uneventful. After he had helped his sister clean up the dishes, Rick made his way from the Poultry Farm toward the Mineral Town Market. Even though all of his surroundings were doused in a murky twilight and the rain still pelted everything in sight, the tangerine-head found his spirits slightly _**uplifted**_ by the weather. For just a brief, _**fleeting**_ moment, he imagined the figures darting out of sight were _**Kai**_---and he, Rick _**himself**_, the cruel cascade that pounded everything into oblivion.

...Well, okay...the rain wasn't _**that**_ bad. Actually, it had warmed up quite a bit and was rather refreshing. However, once the gears of Rick's mind started turning, a simple spring shower could become a raging tsunami! In fact, the tangerine-head was so lost in thought that he had stopped paying attention to where he was going. And _**that's **_when it happened...

_**BLAM!!!**_

Something plowed into Rick so hard that his feet were literally swept out from beneath him. Whatever it was also had enough momentum behind it that instead of stopping, it toppled right over and landed on top of him---nearly knocking the breath from the youth as both tumbled to the ground.

"ITAI! (1)" Rick shouted angrily (he was still sorta in his own little world, so his mind kinda registered the attacker as an enemy). "Watch where you're _**GOING**_, you---"

The poultry farmer looked up to see what the heck the thing was that hit him---only to find that it _**wasn't**_ an _**IT**_---it was a _**SHE!**_

"I can _**HEAR **_you!" the maiden said. "You don't have to _**YELL!**_"

Rick's gaze met a pair of sapphire orbs and a knitted brow. Immediately, Rick began apologizing and tried to help the young woman up. Instead, fire flashed in her cerulean eyes and she smacked his hand away.

"_**BAKA!!!**_ (2)" she hissed. "I was carrying a full basket, you moron! _**YOU**_ should have gotten outta _**MY**_ way!"

That's when he noticed the vegetables at his feet. The basket the girl had brought with her had scattered its contents halfway across the road when the two of them had collided. The anger drained from his face, leaving his skin pale once more. He immediately went about trying to scoop up some of the crops, but he only managed to step on a bundle of fresh herbs. The maiden freaked.

"_**NOW**_ look what you did!" she screamed, grabbing hold of her basket. "You've _**RUINED **_my _**HERBS!**_ You are _**soooooo**_ gonna _**PAY**_ for _**THAT!!!**_"

The fury emanating from the young woman was enough to make Rick forget the rain entirely---not that he had much time to think about it anyway. All thought went to getting out of her line of fire! Not long after she had reclaimed the basket, the blonde had sent it sailing at his head. Rick dodged it just in time, but when he turned to apologize again, he barely missed getting cold-cocked (_**A/N**_: yes, that _**IS**_ an expression...as perverted as it sounds. I don't know if anyone else has heard it, so I'm sorry if you haven't!) with a turnip.

_Man, did that girl have an _**arm**_ on her!_ the tangerine-head thought. _She should've gone into professional _**baseball** _instead of _**farming!** The girl had now scooped up an armload of vegetables and was hurling them as hard as she could at the boy, swearing as she went. Finally, the Fates intervened on her behalf and a cucumber found its mark...

...dead-center on Rick's nose.

He was knocked off balance with an agonized cry and he toppled over backwards onto the cobble stoned path. Hot tears of pain welled up in his eyes as the maiden stomped over to him. Then, one hand on her hip, she brought a foot up and set it on Rick's chest and slung the other arm across her knee.

She glared down at him, smirking. "_**That'll**_ teach ya'!" she spat.

Rick could feel the slightest trickle of blood rolling down his face. He gazed up through teary eyes and whimpered.

"I _**said**_ I was _**SORRY**_, Faye!" he groaned. "I didn't mean to slam into you! _**OR**_ step on your herbs! I'm sorry, already---please, get off of me!"

The blonde's smirk disappeared as she removed her foot from Rick's chest. She whisked a strand of golden hair behind her ears, her face now devoid of rage. It was almost as if her anger had left as soon as it had come. Then she extended a hand to Rick.

"Are you okay?" her voice, much gentler than before, crooned. "I'm sorry about that. I-I was just in so much of a hurry...I..."

Rick just took her hand and pulled himself to his feet. Faye Scarlet had usually been a cheerful, kind of quiet girl from the very first time he met her. But she had such a short fuse! She wasn't exactly the type that one would have expected to become a farmer, what with her hurling tools across the field if she planted seeds in the wrong patch or if her fishing line snapped just as she was about to land a monstrous bass. The day he and Popuri delivered her first chicken, it had gotten into Faye's hayfield and tore out a huge mess for a nest---it took _**BOTH**_ siblings to keep her from going 'Grim Reaper' with her sickle on the hapless bird!

...That was probably why, he reasoned, the people at the accounting firm she worked for were so eager to let her go!

"Rick...Omigosh! You're _**bleeding!**_" Faye gasped. "Oh, _**no**_, I didn't mean to hit you so hard with that cucumber! I was just so upset...Here, let me help."

Although he wasn't the most eager for her to 'help', he let Faye at his nose. He did not dare incur her wrath twice in one day. Faye pulled a little white handkerchief out of her overalls pocket and tried to dab some blood from his nose. The rain helped bring the rest off. When she was done, he put his hand up to his nose to hold the cloth in place. He helped her pick up the remaining crops with his free arm and refill the basket. He handed her the herbs.

"Ugh..." he held up a handful of orange and yellow. "Here. I'm sorry I stepped on them. I can pay you back if you want."

"Nah, these are okay," she shook the water off of them. "Actually, you didn't do as much damage as I thought you had. They'll still bring a profit."

Faye beamed a cute, girlish smile at him. He returned it with a warm smile of his own. Then, hoisting the basket up onto his shoulder, he and the blonde headed down the road to her farm. The trip to the Market---just like thinking of Kai---would have to wait.

The rain had slackened off by the time the two of them had reached the farm, but it was still drizzling. After Faye had dumped her basket---she had been coming back from the beach when she had 'bumped' into Rick---he heard her stomach growl.

"Heh...must be lunchtime," she grinned.

Rick nodded and laughed. Then, much to his embarrassment, his did the same. Faye giggled.

"Looks like your tummy could use some fuel, too!"

The tangerine-head could feel another blush creeping up to his face. "Guess that's the consequences of not being hungry enough to eat much breakfast." Faye just smiled.

"C'mon," said the farmer, "I'll fix us some lunch."

Rick politely refused the offer, mentioning his obligations to his mother.

"Oh, please! I _**insist!**_" she took hold of his free wrist. "The Market won't close for another few hours! Besides, it's the least I can do after nailing you with that cuke!"

At that, the chicken rancher happily obliged. Not that he needed much reason---he'd use practically _**any**_ excuse to be around Faye! Even though she could make a sailor cry when she lost her temper, the sweet nature she had the rest of the time was quite worth the risk. Besides, if he played his cards right, maybe she'd get so mad at Kai that he'd leave limping this time and never come back! Rick grinned as she playfully tugged him along to her cabin.

Once inside, the world seemed inhabitable again. No memories of Kai marked the log cabin---even though angry thoughts of the bandana-clad youth still stirred in Rick's mind. Upon Faye's urging, he made himself comfortable at the table and waiting for the blonde to scrape together something in the kitchen. He didn't have long to wait, for the farmer soon rejoined him---he arms laden with plates of buns stuffed with strawberry jelly and two large mugs of hot milk. Rick downed a couple of buns as Faye sipped at her drink.

"Why were you in such a _**hurry**_, L'il Fairy?" he teased. Most of the good friends she had in the village called her that. Gotz had been the first one to suggest it, around the time Faye had bombarded the woodcutter with a cache of trumpets her friend Lenne (3)had brought her from Forget-Me-Not Valley.

_"Why, with that lass showing up with toadstools wherever she goes, she's just like a fairy!"_ And the nickname stuck. Besides, even though she was in her early twenties and had a wrath that could rival a hurricane, she was so cute and childlike that none of the villagers could help themselves...

...and Rick was no exception.

"I was trying to gather as many of the spring herbs as I could before the season ends," the girl replied between sips, "it being my first spring on the farm and all."

"Ah, I see...you were trying to make a good impression with all of your hard work?"

Faye nodded. "That, and I needed some extra money. Buying half my field's worth of pineapple seeds kinda left me in a bind."

Rick serenely smiled. The blonde hadn't been the hardest worker when she first arrived. She rarely got up early, and clearing the field had left her so frustrated that she probably would have packed up and headed back to the city---that is, if she hadn't been _**broke**_ at the time. But after she got to know the villagers and befriended her livestock, she came to like Mineral Town and tried to be a better farmer so as to fit in (though she never _**did**_ manage to break her lazy streak entirely---now and then, someone would run across her taking a nap in the strangest of places!). Yet she still was everyone's little sweetheart...their L'il Fairy.

"You seemed pretty upset yourself when I ran into you."

Rick snapped out his daze. Faye's cheerful cerulean eyes pierced him, as if she was trying to peer directly into his mind. He said nothing.

""C'mon, now, Rick," she raised her brow, "I _**know**_ that there is something amiss with you. You seem lost in thought."

The chicken rancher sighed. Faye, like his mother, could read his emotions. He realized that there was no use in hiding it any longer---after all, wasn't this the same girl that it took so little to make her snap?

He cleared his throat. "I'm...just a little..._**apprehensive**_, I suppose."

The young woman beamed. "Tee hee! I _**KNEW**_ it!" Faye sat back in her chair, a triumphant grin emerging from her lips. "I've always been quite good at reading emotions. I guess that's what happens when you grow up raising younger cousins---you learn a lot about people. So...what's troubling you, dude?"

Rick took the time to take a bite out of another jelly bun. As long as he had his mouth full, his manners prohibited him from speaking---exactly what he wanted. Finally, when he was beginning to look suspicious, he swallowed his food, took a swig of his hot---now lukewarm---milk, and began.

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**Authoress:** Yeah, I suppose the chapter _**WAS**_ a bit short, but I'm getting tired and I promised Fairy Red that I'd have this chapter up as soon as I could. Besides, it just seemed like a good place to end.I'm sorry I had to resort to my greatly overused sense of lame slapstick humor, but I had a writer's block...

(holds arms out as far as she can stretch them)

..._**THIS**_ big!


	3. The Wager

**Authoress:** Yeah, I'm back. It's gotten kinda busy around here, and with college looming before me, my amount of free time is probably going to implode. Anyway...I can't think of much else to say except that I'll _**try**_ (keyword is _**TRY**_) to update most of my stories once a week, which will probably be on the weekend. Other than that...um...

Oh yeah! There were some notes I made in the last chapter that I forgot to clear up:

1)"Itai"-------Japanese word often used in shock or surprise, or an equivalent of "Ouch"

2)"Baka"-------Japanese for "Stupid"; a primary insult

3)"Lenne" -------MY way of authoress' interjection into her own story!!! Chances are, though, Lenne won't be making any appearances in this story any time soon---one OC is enough (considering the plotline).

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**CHAPTER THREE**

**"**_The Wager_**"**

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Rick sat down his mug of lukewarm milk and heaved a sigh. Hints of frustration lingered in his breath.

"It's because of _**him**_ that I'm upset," the tangerine-head growled.

"'_**Him**_'?" Faye shot him a confused glance. "'Him' _**who?**_"

The youth let out another exasperated sigh. "His name's _**Kai**_. He's this sea-faring punk that runs a restaurant on the beach during the summer"

"Ooh! I _**wondered**_ who that building belonged to!" Faye grinned.

"Yeah, well, it _**actually**_ belongs to the _**town**_. That is, until Zack, Thomas, and Duke helped him spruce the place up to help him earn his keep. In retrospect," the young man balled his hands up into fists, "it was the _**worst**_ gesture of hospitality that anyone in this town has every done."

Faye propped one elbow on the table and put the other defiantly on her hip.

"What makes you say that? Is he a bad cook or something---"

"_**NO!**_" Rick banged his fists hard onto the table, nearly making Faye jump.

"Sheesh, you don't have to take it out on the poor table...It's not like it's this 'Kai' person, you know!"

"No, because if it was, _**I**_ wouldn't be sitting in here with it!!!"

A concerned grimace marked the farmer's lips now. This wasn't the gentle, sweet chicken rancher she usually knew. No...this was a side of the carrot-top that she had never seen before. It intrigued her. One brow raised in contemplation, she gave nodded for the young man to continue.

"So," the blonde asked, "what exactly _**did**_ this guy do that ticked you off so badly?"

"_**Everything!**_"

Faye's lips pursed in a sarcastic scowl and her other brow raised. "You're gonna have to be a _**teensy**_ bit more specific, man."

Glowering again, this time at the fading ripples in his milk caused by his earlier tantrum, he took a deep breath and heaved another sigh.

"Oh, for goodness' sake!" Faye retorted. "Stop sighing and spit it _**out**_, already!"

Rick sweat-dropped. Even his anger for Kai wasn't a wise excuse to smart Faye off, but the chicken rancher finally realized that he had played with fire long enough and decided to come clean (while the blonde's imminent temper was keeping his own quelled for the time being).

"It all started about three years ago," he adjusted his glasses. "Zack's merchant ship pulled into the harbor, as usual. He'd just finished his voyage to a trading post up north and had come home to unload his new wares."

Faye nodded. Rick turned his mug back in forth in his hands for a moment before taking a sip.

"Ever since Dad left to find that desert plant that would cure mother, any time that Zack would come back from the city, Popuri and I would make a mad dash for the beach to see if he had come back. As we darted down the steps, we saw another figure on the ship beside Zack. We knew only _**one**_ person that had any reason to be on that ship---our father!"

The youth gently sat his mug down and stared absent-mindedly into the tiny ripples that formed inside. The fainter they became, the more his voice took over again.

"But it _**wasn't**_ your Dad, was it?"

"No," Rick started to heave another sigh, but instead let his next words come out in a shutter. "No, it wasn't. Our father was tall, lean, and had spiky red hair with a strip of white cloth bound around his forehead; the only similarity between him and that...that..._**thing**_...was that Dad had worn sailor's clothing the day he left."

The blonde waved her hand. "Go on." she urged.

"The figure on was _**nothing**_ like our father. No...that _**guy**_ sauntered off the ship like he owned all creation, one hand placed defiantly on his hip and the other hoisting a bag slung over his shoulder. He had a purple bandana wrapped around his head and his skin had the darkest tan I had ever seen. And he wasn't just clad like a sailor, either---he had the muscles of a sea-farer, too...kinda of like a miniature Zack, actually."

"What's so bad about all of _**that?**_" Faye said, her head resting in her hand. "He sounds like a cutie-pie, to me!"

Rick couldn't help shooting a tempestuous glance at the farmer girl that time. His brow was furrowed in deep-set fury, and his words hissed through his clenched teeth.

"I never said anything was wrong with how he _**looked**_," the youth spat. "It's how he _**BEHAVES**_ that gets my goat! The moment he sat foot in our village, it's as if a cloud settled over the place! He has done nothing but butter everyone up since he came here---especially the women!"

"But," Faye protested, "are you _**sure**_ he was insincere?"

"What, are you _**KIDDING?!**_ Of _**course**_, he was _**insincere!**_ He just showed up from out of nowhere and expected the town to provide him with a place of employment! Everyone was suspicious of him, at first---what, with a kid just showing up in a town with no relations whatsoever to provide him reference---but then he---"

"But does he actually _**have**_ a family? His folks could be _**dead**_, you know."

"No, he has a family, alright. When Duke asked him about his parents, he said he just got tired of it all one day and _**left!**_ Not to mention the fact that he was actually _**glad**_ about it!!! _**What kind of man abandons his family like that?!**_"

The chicken rancher's hands were clenching his mug so hard now that his knuckles were turning white. Not wanting one of her best mugs to get crushed, Faye put her hand over the top of the cup and managed to scoot it out of the boy's grasp.

"Perhaps we should move Mr. Mug over _**here**_ so he doesn't become your venting outlet in Kai's stead, 'Kay?" the girl's face was a bit paler now, but she maintained her casual smile, anyway. "I don't get it...did you know his family?"

"No," Rick huffed. "I've only met _**him**_."

"Well, then...if you didn't know his family to prove he _**is**_ a bad guy---and therefore, is no insult to you---then _**what**_, pray tell, did he do to you?"

Rick's face started to cloud with all-fired rage again. "It started with the first day I met him. Right after he came off of the ship, he spotted Popuri and me and came over to us. He sat down his bag and introduced himself---all proper-like. Anyway, I could immediately see the Popuri had taken a liking to him...heck, if someone agrees with her on _**one**_ thing, she's friends for _**life **_with them! But, I, on the other hand, knew better."

"Hnn," Faye groaned, but said nothing more.

"When he turned to me, he had this wide crooked smirk on his face. He put both his hands on his hips and puffed his chest out---the blowhard! He looked like he was doing his best imitation of a puffer fish! Well, he asked me who I was, but before I could stop her, Sis had already blurted out her name, mine, and _**half our family lineage!!!**_"

"Hee tee!" Faye giggled. "That sounds like Popuri, alright! As hyper and cheerful as usual!"

"Well, he just looked at me and said, 'Your name's Rick? I thought maybe it was Carrot-Top! I mean, I thought maybe the sun had a _**brother**_ running on the beach when I first saw you!'. Boy, did he tick me off. I told him he shouldn't poke fun at people, but he just grinned even _**more!**_ I started to go off, but Popuri chastised me for being rude to someone new. I told her to stay out of it, but she threatened to tell Mother."

"Yup, that's Popuri to a 'T'!"

"And if _**THAT**_ wasn't bad enough, Kai started _**laughing!**_ 'So, does your brother _**always**_ do what his mother tells him?' he asked. I growled at him what he meant by that, but he just laughed harder. He just said it was nothing. I plied him to spit out what he meant, but he seemed to get a kick out of making me angry! He's a pure _**smart-alleck!!!**_"

"So...You don't like him because he picks on you?"

"I'm the only one he ever _**DOES!!!**_" Rick jumped up. "Everyone else, he's fine with. To the men, he's blunt---but they respect him for it. And the women all think he is just the most charming man they have ever _**SEEN!**_ He stays the whole summer just to torture me! I think he's hiding something---"

By now, Faye was rather intrigued. She had one brow raised again, and had leaned back in her chair with her arms and legs crossed (for Faye, this was her contemplative pose ). To complete it, her little hand was curled into a ball with one finger gently tapping against her lips. Rick cocked his head and stared at her, wondering what the he had said that started the gears churning inside her thick little skull.

"You know, man," she finally spoke, "maybe you are reading too much into this whole situation. Have you ever noticed him picking on Popuri?"

Rick nearly exploded.

"What part of 'he _**ONLY**_ picks on _**ME**_' did you not get?!" he shouted. "Popuri thinks he's like a prince! She just lavishes attention on him every time he shows up!"

"Ah...I _**see**_..." Faye grinned at the young man towering above, then commenced to giggling uncontrollably.

"_**NOW**_ what?!"

The giggles amplified into maniacal laughter. "You're _**jealous**_, aren't you?"

"Wh-wha-what?!" Rick was absolutely _**shocked**_. "Me? Jealous? Of _**that**_ guy?"

Faye nodded.

"Get _**REAL**_, Faye!"

"You _**ARE**_ jealous!"

Rick plopped back down in his chair. "Now what does _**he**_ have that would make _**me**_ jealous? Hmm?"

"Your sister's undivided attention every summer, for one. Maybe her Big Brother doesn't want to see Popuri enjoying some other guy's company as much as his own. After all...you _**have**_ had her to yourself for her entire life until _**he**_ showed up."

"Humph!" Rick crossed his arms and legs in the chair, defiantly turning his head away and mumbling. "I am not jealous."

"Well, it's either that or you are trying to do an imitation _**yourself**_---one of a brooding chicken."

At that, Rick stood up from the table and headed toward the door. Just as he got to it and turned the knob, however, Faye's hand slammed it shut. She blew a strand of yellow out of her eyes and glared at him.

"Lemme out of here, Faye," Rick growled. "I have errands to run."

"Not until you promise me something!"

It was no use arguing with the farmer. He still felt the sting of that cucumber on his nose from earlier.

"Urgh...what is it?"

"You have to _**promise**_ me...that---for _**this**_ summer, anyway---"

Rick sweat-dropped. "...Yes?" He was afraid to ask what was coming.

"_**YOU**_ and _**I**_ are going to try to _**patch things up**_ between you and Kai!"

It felt like a horse had just kicked him in the stomach. The blood rushed to his face, and his eyes widened.

"DO _**WHAT?!**_"

"You heard me," Faye beamed. "I think you have the poor guy figured all wrong. I mean, if everyone _**else**_ in Mineral Town can get along with him---including both your mother _**AND**_ sister---then doesn't it seem strange that you can't?"

Rick merely turned his head and stared at the brass doorknob in his hand.

"Just this _**once**_, Rick. Please...for me?"

Even though he was staring straight forward, he couldn't help but feel a pang run through him when he saw Faye's bubbly sapphire eyes out of the corner of his own sunset ones. She reminded him so much of Popuri, it wasn't surprising to him now why they were best friends. He sighed...

...he had been fighting a losing battle the whole time he was with Faye.

"Ugh...I just _**KNOW**_ that I'm going to regret this---_**HEY!**_"

"_**ThankYouThankYou---THANKYOU!!!**_" the blonde girl threw her arms around his chest in a death-grip bear hug. "You'll see...I bet you're gonna be the best friend he's always needed!"

"But, I thought that was _**Popuri's**_ job," he griped.

"Aww, but he needs a _**GUY**_ buddy!" she quickly commented. "And surely, someone as understanding and sweet as _**YOU**_ could be that friend, couldn't you?"

Faye's normally bright eyes were now closed to mere slits, the sparkling cerulean shimmering just barely out from beneath her lids. She fluttered her long eyelashes sweetly, and gave him a coy smile.

_Yep._ Rick thought._ The twin Popuri never had._

"Fine..." he agreed. "But I'm not making any guarantees..."

"That's 'kay!" the blonde beamed. "And anyway, I'll owe you one _**BIG**_ time if you do this for me!"

Rick raised his brow.

"_**ANY**_ favor...?"

"Anything!"

"Hmmm..." Rick thought for a moment. He could torture the little blonde farmer just this _**once**_ and she had _**nothing**_ she could do about it! And she'd do _**ANYTHING**_ he wanted, to boot! But he had to put up with _**KAI**_ all summer...

...Oh, the choices...the _**choices**_...

"Whatever I want, right?"

Faye gave him a furious glare. "Anything _**LEGAL!**_"

"Aww, too _**bad**_," Rick grinned shyly at her, "you probably could grow a lot of pot in your field..."

"Very _**funny**_, Carrot-Top!" she ruffled his hair. "Now..._**seriously**_...what do you want in exchange?"

"For spending a summer being nice to _**Kai?**_ I should get a _**hundred**_ favors!"

"_**ONE!**_" Faye warned. "One favor."

"Oh, _**fine!**_" he threw his hands up in mock protest. "If I _**try**_ to make friends with Kai..."

Faye stood staring at him, hands on her hips.

"What?"

Rick's eyes brightened with an unearthly gleam. He gave her a sly look out of the corner of his eye, then chuckled.

"Well?" she asked. "What did you decide?"

"If _**I**_ hold up _**my**_ end of the bargain..._**YOU**_ have to...go to every festival this year with _**me**_---"

"That's fine! No problemo---"

"...Dressed in _**ANY**_ costume I want!"

"No way..." Faye shuttered. "Not...that! You wouldn't dare..."

"Yes, I would."

"Even...?"

"Yes!"

"No way."

"Then the deal's off."

"But---"

"Going _**once...**_"

"Can't we settle this over a nice dinner? Or perhaps an arm-wrestling match?"

"_**Going TWICE...!**_"

"_**FINE!!!**_" Faye screamed. "But if I die in that Barney suit, I am going to come back to haunt you."

Rick smiled and pinched her face. "Aww, but purple is your color! And I'll just get Carter to exorcise your spirit."

"I hate you."

"You love me, and you know it."

"Grrrrrrrrr!" Faye pushed Rick out of the way and stomped off into the yard. Rick, still chuckling, ambled out into the yard behind her.

"The _**FIRST**_ thing tomorrow, we're gonna go scrub his shop from _**top**_ to _**BOTTOM!!!**_"

Then door hit Rick in the back as he swore under his breath.

...It was going to be one _**LONG**_ summer...

...but the thought of Faye in a dinosaur outfit was going to make it just a little bit easier!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Authoress:** What? You thought he was going to ask Faye for something else...? Get your minds outta de' gutter, people! This is YAOI, anyway. You should know better by now!

Besides...I just LURVES a-teasing my readers. It's so much fun!


	4. Spring Cleaning

**Authoress:** After a long absence, I have finally returned to this story! Yah! Ugh, after reading the previous chapters, I understand why all of that bold writing got on people's nerves...it even gave ME a headache. .

Anyway, the chapters are gonna be a little shorter, but I'm sure you all won't mind---considering the normal length of my writing intervals. Enjoy!

Oh, and Barney belongs to PBS or whatever. I hate that stupid purple dinosaur almost as much as Faye does---he creeps me out. shivers

---------------------------------------------

**CHAPTER FOUR**

**"**_Spring Cleaning_**"**

---------------------------

Faye was certainly determined to keep herself dinosaur-free as long as humanly possible. She was so hell-bent on winning the bet that she actually dragged Rick out of bed even before the sun had a chance to wake up. The tangerine-head spent a few harried moments tossing feed to the chickens before Faye's constant prodding forced him to leave the ranch. And so, just as the twilight sunshine began to illuminate the early-morning mist, Rick started to regret ever having made that stupid bet with Faye.

The fresh spray coming off of the ocean waves hit Rick full-force as he stepped onto the sand. All was quiet, save for the roar of the water and the sparse cries of ever-hungry gulls overhead. He did not have long to linger over the little moments of his last Kai-free morning, though, for Faye soon noticed him standing idle and began to pull him along the beach by his ear.

"Darn it, Faye," whined the rancher, "let go of me!"

"Not until we get inside!" the girl hissed. "If I let go while we're still out here, you'll probably bolt."

Actually, that did not sound like a half bad idea to Rick. Unfortunately, for a young woman from the city, Faye's grip was particularly strong, so he merely sighed and resigned himself to his fate. The farmer dug the keys she got from Gotz out of her overalls pocket and unlocked the door. Rick was immediately greeted by darkness the moment he stepped into the ramshackle hut. There was enough light from the outside so that even though the room was bathed in shadows, it was not so dark that he could not see. A thick layer of dust lay caked on top of the four tables and countertop. Cobwebs hung from all four corners of the ceiling and claimed the darker recesses of the cabana. While the place was not filthy---quite the contrary, for it was actually still rather neat from the previous summer---it was obvious to the young man that it was going to be a long, rushed morning in order to fix the place up.

Faye let out a cough. "Sheesh...doesn't anyone clean this place?"

"The beach house was built by Gotz and some of the other townsmen especially for Kai," Rick sneered. "No one else goes in here besides Gotz, and he only checks it right after Kai leaves to make sure nothing is still plugged up."

The blonde gave Rick a dirty look. "Don't go ranting on someone when he's not here to defend himself." She walked over to the wall behind the counter and opened a small broom closet. Moments later, a wooden bucket came flying at Rick's head. He barely had time to react before it nearly hit him in the face. "Now, go get some water and hurry back! We've got work to do."

The poultry rancher grumbled under his breath and went to fetch some ocean water (he would have gotten it from the house, but the water valve was still shut off and would remain so until Kai took over the shop again). Once he had scooped up enough to fill the pail and made his way back inside, Faye had already lain out everything they would need. A broom and mop leaned against one of the grime-covered chairs, below which was stowed washcloths, brushes, another bucket, some cleaners and a dust pan.

"C'mon, give me a hand."

Rick sat down the pail and clapped. Faye glared daggers at him.

"I meant come _help_ me, you moron!" She motioned toward one of the colossal tables. Rick let out a chuckle and helped her turn the table on its side so Faye could fold the legs. The two of them began to maneuver each of the tables---with much difficulty---through the door and out of the house, followed by all but two of the chairs. Once that was taken care of, Faye put Rick to scrubbing down the walls. The farmer herself grabbed hold of the broom and attacked the cobwebs strewn from the ceiling.

Soon, with the aid of Faye's constant commands, the long-haired rancher had pushed all thought of Kai to the back of his mind and set about trying to clean the house as quickly as he could manage. With Faye determined to not be confined to that Barney costume, he had to work doubly fast to keep her from swatting him over the head with the broom. Sadly, he got more than a few 'love licks' before the day was through.

Faye's persistence paid off. By the time the fog had dissipated and the sun was nearly overhead, the beach house was spic and span. The tables and chairs shown from being polished, the windows sparkled, and not a trace of dust could be seen. The oven and refrigerator, which had not been used in nearly a year, were cleaned out and ready for action. The room no longer reeked from the scent of water on dust but now held the delightful, salty scent of the ocean water Rick had washed the room down with.

Faye swept her eyes across the scene and examined their hard work. Satisfied, she walked over to the window facing the sea and threw it open. The warm breeze wafted into the room, amplifying to the sea salt fragrance. Rick pushed the last chair in and popped his back.

"Ah," he let out a groan. "Are we done now?" He really did not want to be in the beach house while Kai was gone, let alone when he came back.

"Not just yet," his friend replied.

"Aww, c'mon, Faye!" the rancher whined, waving his arms in protest. "We just cleaned this whole shack from top to bottom! What more could we do here? Because, if you see some more dirt, tell me and I'll get it up---"

"You're right, Rick. The place IS clean, but..."

He didn't like the sound of her tone. "'But' what?"

"Well, it just doesn't _smell_ like it's clean."

"What are you talking about?"

Faye wrinkled her nose. "It smells like ocean in here."

"Of course, it smells like ocean in here!" Rick said. "We're at the _beach!_"

"I don't care," Faye turned from the window and crossed her arms. "Cleaning up the beach house means cleaning up the smell, too."

"And how do you suppose we do that, Li'l Fairy?"

The blonde ignored the sarcasm in Rick's voice and, instead, began to absentmindedly scan the room. "We need some flowers..." Faye stated in a flat, robot like tone.

The tangerine-head put his hand on his hip and glared. "'Flowers'? Sorry to break it to you, but I'm no magician. I can't just pull a bouquet out of thin air."

"I never said you could."

"Then where are we gonna get flowers?" questioned the rancher, eliciting a menacing smirk from the blonde. Rick felt a drop of sweat trickle down the side of his face. Faye never smiled like that unless she had an idea---one that he couldn't win against. "I'm NOT going to the Goddess' Spring just to get you a bunch of weeds!"

"Of course not, Rick," Faye beamed.

The poultry farmer let out a mental cheer and smirked. Maybe this would be one battle he would actually win against her...

"...Because I already picked the spring's flowers! You're just gonna have to go up to the top of the mountain and pick some of those."

"Say what?! No way in hell am I gonna..."

Faye held up two fingers. "I've got two words for you, Rick: Barney costume." The girl narrowed her brow, turning her grin into a menacing smirk. "If you wanna see me wear that, then you've gotta be willing to go the extra mile."

"But I've already _cleaned _this place from top to bottom!"

"With my help!" she shouted. "The flowers will be entirely YOUR doing. In fact, every day Kai is here you have to do some individual something to make him feel welcome."

"That wasn't in the agreement, Faye, and you know it!"

"Maybe not, but it's the little things that build friendships," was the farmer's cool reply. "And I'll have you know that I never DID decided on what your punishment would be if I won. And unless you are willing to take that risk, I suggest you get going. Kai will be here tomorrow, and you have more work to do once you get back."

Rick balled his hands into fists, then gave a grunt of annoyance and headed out the door.

"Oh, and one more thing!" called Faye as Rick headed across the beach. "Bring back some pretty ones! You don't want to give your new best buddy in the world stunted or worm-eaten flowers, do you?"

_Who does she think I'm picking these for? _thought the tangerine-head._ My mother?_ However, the thought of what the girl would do to him if he did not comply made him swallow his protest. She wasn't exactly one for "turning the other cheek." In fact, she had made quite a name for herself within the short time she had been there as the town prankster. After the little incident with Saibara and the fireworks when he had snapped at Gray in front of Faye, he did not dare incur her wrath.

Instead, he made for the stairs leading to the square. The sooner he got back the sooner he could end this foolishness.

It was _definitely_ going to be a long summer...


	5. Kai's Arrival

**Authoress:** Not much to say here except a reply to my reviewers.

To "huh": Yes, this is STILL a yaoi--I have not changed my mind on that.

To my other reviewers: I know how much you love my stories and how my not updating is a pain in the rear, but some major problems have been happening lately. College can be a pain towards finals.

--

**CHAPTER FIVE**

**"**_Kai's Arrival_**"**

--

The mountain had already started preparing itself for summer. Most of the plants that were so plentiful during the early spring were now wilting into crumpled brown masses. Of course, this included the precious Moondrop flowers that Faye sent Rick after, so it took the tangerine-head nearly three hours just to find a decent handful.

Well, if you could call it 'decent', that is. He knew Faye was going to lecture him. Despite his search, he had only managed to find nine puny blossoms--most of which were now more urine-colored than golden (not to mention that none had been left undescecrated by bugs). He spent much of the walk back down the mountain pinching off the worst of the gnawed-upon leaves in hopes of making the bouquet presentable. Or, in the very least, _pitiable_.

Rick just could not understand why she was so adamant about getting him to be friends with Kai in the first place. After all, she had never met him! She didn't know just how annoying he could be. To tell the truth, he was probably the only person in the village that even questioned the sailor's character. Kai had an amazing way of charming anyone he met...

...Anyone, except Rick, of course.

Charming the town was one thing, but when Kai started getting close to Popuri and his mother...Well, that was the metaphorical straw that broke the camel's back. It pestered the hell out of him that his family liked the vagabond so much. His thoughts drifted back to the previous summer. He remembered standing on the beach with his family (he wouldn't have been there at all had he not been needed to support his mother, who was having a particularly rough time that day), waiting for the cargoship to make port. Popuri had taken her merry time saying farewell to Kai, the latter promising to write as soon as he got to shore. It had been a sad time for the ladies of his family, but for Rick it was good riddance. He had already plotted to intercept each of the sailor's letters before Popuri even saw so much as a postage stamp. Imagine his surprise when she managed to hoard them without his ever seeing a single one!

"Stupid Harris and his stubborn adherence to federal mail codes," growled Rick. The poultry rancher shook his head. It seemed like everyone was working to thwart his suspiscions of Kai. And now Faye was in on it! How could it get any worse?

Rick found out the hard way. He was so lost in thought that he never heard the other man approaching the same intersection--until he slammed full-speed into the guy, that is. Both men let out a surprised shout as they collided.

"Wah!" screamed Rick as he hit the ground, dropping the flowers in the process. He temporarily forgot about the man he ran into as his thoughts turned to what Faye would do to him if those flowers were ruined in the mud.

"Yo, man, are you alright?" called out the other youth. "Here, let me give you a hand."

"No, that's alright. I've got it--"

"Here," a pair of tan fingers offered the last of the blossoms to Rick. "Well, _this_ is a pleasant surprise!"

"Huh?" the rancher lifted his head, meeting the gaze from a pair of dark brown orbs. The eyes led to a face tanned by many days on the ocean, then down to a wry smirk. The smell of salt water and ship fuel wafted into Rick's nostrils. His gaze settled on a purple bandanna wrapped around the man's head.

_Oh, hell, it just got worse..._

"How've y' been, Rick?" grinned Kai as he extended a hand. "Is your mother doing well? And how is little Popuri?"

Rick ignored the hand and helped himself to his feet. Here was Kai, yakking at him like the two of them were old friends! Did he actually think that the rancher could forget his past so easily? The tangerine-head frowned. He was about to tell the sailor off for being so cocky when he noticed the young woman standing behind him.

"Rick, don't'cha watch where you're going anymore?" the blonde chided him before turning to Kai. "Yesterday, he plowed into me and made me drop the herbs I spent half the morning gathering--and NOW he goes and knocks you on your rear! Man, if this keeps up, we all might have to start wearing helmets."

"You're one to talk, Faye," Rick spat, "or do I have to remind you that no matter how many times you water Mayor Thomas, he's not going to get any bigger?"

"Hey, now, he was making fun of me for selling my place before I checked the farm out!" she fumed. Kai gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder.

"Now, now, Faye--there's no need for getting upset. Rick is famous for his snide little remarks. I should know," he glanced over at the boy. "I got more than my fair share the last time I was here."

Faye pouted for a moment, but soon a wicked smirk broke out on her lips. Rick gulped. He knew the grin meant she was up to no good.

"Oh, he's trying to give up those petty little insults," she waved her hand in coy gesture and laughed off the glare Rick gave her. "Lately, all he's talked about is how harsh he's been the past couple of years to everyone. He's been trying so hard to make amends lately, but he said what bothered him the most was how he's treated you."

Rick gawked at her. Surely, those words did not just come out of her mouth. He had to have imagined them. There was no way she'd say anything so cheesy as--

"Really?" Kai seemed a bit shocked but his eyes betrayed him.

_He actually BELIEVES her?!_ came the mental shout. He didn't know whether to laugh at Kai's ignorance, kill him for showing up, or pick Faye up and throw her in the river for making him look like an idiot. It was all Rick could do to hold his composure together while the farmer weaved her little tale.

"In fact," she continued, a huge smile beaming on her face as Kai's confidence in her story increased, "he was so determined to get things off on the right foot that he practically dragged me out of bed this morning so we could go get your shop all cleaned up for you!"

Alright, maybe she had gone a bit TOO far. Kai narrowed his eyes on the young woman then turned his gaze toward the tangerine-head. He defiantly crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the rancher. Rick felt a drop of sweat trickle down his forehead. Would Kai buy the tale after all?

"If you don't believe me, just go check the place out for yourself!" the blonde chimed in. She took off walking down the street in the direction of the beach, leaving Kai and Rick to continue their awkward staring contest. The bandanna-clad man tilted his head ever so slightly to the side, questioning the other boy with his gaze.

Be it from the absence of chatter or lack of accompnying footsteps, Faye eventually realized that no one was following her. "Hey!" she called out, her arms akimbo. "Are you guys coming or not?"

"We'll be right there, Miss Scarlet," Kai called out. He kept his eyes locked onto Rick's amber ones for a long moment before letting his arms fall slack to his sides and following the blonde. Rick stood there for a moment, puzzled by the sailor's gaze.

_What was THAT about?_ he mentally huffed. Kai had no right to stare at him! To glare down at him like...like...like whatever wretched thing he thought he was! Rick's blood nearly boiled in his veins.

"Rick, quit spacing out and get your chicken feather-covered rear over here!" hollered Faye, who was now tapping her foot in agitation.

The rancher clenched his fingers around the flowers in his hand and took a deep breath. It was going to take all of his will-power to hold out the whole summer as Kai's buddy--an outlook that was certainly turning grimmer by the second. He took up his pace and headed after the sailor, mentally planning how he was going to make Faye pay dearly when he won the bet.


	6. AUTHOR NOTICE

AUTHOR NOTICE:

Yes, I've been on a long hiatus. I apologize for that but life has gotten in the way. I plan on finishing some of these fics I have on the site eventually and I am STILL ALIVE, but there are some things going on in my life that have claimed higher priority.

I thoroughly apologize for the long inconvinience.

Yours truly,

ThePenandtheSword


End file.
